2009 State Legislative Priorities December 2008
ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU
2009 Proposed State Legislative Priorities
Illinois Farm Bureau's Proposed State Legislative Priorities for the 2009 General Assembly legislative session are:
· Seek passage of a State Budget that maintains all funding levels at acceptable maintenance levels to provide for agricultural programs within the current tax structure. Due to the current economic downturn combined with the current state budget deficits a no-growth program budget must be adhered to.
· Seek passage of legislation that allows the Illinois Finance Authority to offer Beginning Farmer Bond Loans at the federally approved rate of $450,000 instead of the current state approved amount of $250,000.
· Seek passage of legislation that allows a County Board of Commissioners to increase the number of elected at-large commissioners.
· Seek passage of legislation to expand the number of counties where statute limits the distance from a municipality that an annexation agreement will be valid.
· Seek passage of legislation to require 30 days written notice to all landowners and governmental entities whose property or district boundary is within 1 ½ miles of any parcel in an unincorporated area for which a zoning change is proposed or on which a special use permit is sought.
· Seek Passage of legislation to allow equine harvesting in Illinois.
· Support legislation that limits landowner liability when the property is used by invited guests for recreational purposes.
· Support legislation to authorize counties and municipalities to establish local Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement programs to purchase agricultural conservation easements to encourage farmland preservation.
· Support legislation that increases the ethanol blending standard to a level higher than 10 percent.
· Support legislation to establish a Statewide goal of a minimum of 20 percent by volume of the total gasoline consumed in Illinois be ethanol by 2012.
BACKGROUND ON 2009 MAJOR ISSUES
Seek passage of a State budget that maintains all funding levels at acceptable levels to provide for agricultural programs within the current tax structure.
The General Assembly will be developing a budget for the State with falling revenues and increasing outstanding obligations. The revenue stream for the State has shown a slow down and is expected to reduce the ability to meet increasing employee costs, input costs due to increasing fuel costs, and other contractual obligations.
We will advocate a state budget at current maintenance levels so that key agricultural programs are not eliminated. This will be a tough challenge for agricultural programs since many of these programs have been reduced over recent years. Supporting a maintenance level budget means many programs that agriculture relies upon will not be able to regain past funding levels or increased funding over the prior year.
The State of Illinois must live within its revenue sources, which means everyone will need to tighten their belts and ride out the current economic downturn. Both Illinois Department of Agriculture operating programs (i.e. meat and poultry inspections, environmental programs, land and water resource, weights and measures, etc.) and agricultural pass-through programs (i.e. Extension, C-FAR, ILCAE, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, etc.) will have to survive within a no budget growth scenario for FY 2010.
Seek passage of legislation that allows the Illinois Finance Authority to offer Beginning Farmer Bond Loans at the federally approved rate of $450,000 instead of the current state amount of $250,000.
Beginning farmers have been limited by a loan cap of $250,000 since the programs were first offered in 1981. Assuming nominal inflation of about 3% per year, $250,000 in 1981 would be equivalent to $450,000 today. The Aggie Bond maximum size was raised to $450,000 and indexed to inflation using the same index that FSA uses to adjust its maximum loan amount when the 2008 Farm Bill was enacted in May of 2008.
On May 22, 2008, Congress overrode President Bush's veto and enacted into law a version of the farm bill that included updates to the Aggie Bond provisions of federal law. The changes that were made will update the relevance of a very valuable program to beginning farmers that live in States with active Beginning Farmer Bond Programs. Illinois happens to be one of those States.
In order to bring State law in compliance with Federal law, Illinois Farm Bureau will seek legislation to make current State law match newly enacted Federal law. The changes will insure that the Illinois Finance Authority has clear and express authority to administer the Beginning Farmer Bond program at the Federally prescribed levels.
Seek passage of legislation that allows a County Board of Commissioners to increase the number of elected at-large commissioners.
Current Illinois statute only allows counties to expand their board of county commissioners from 3 to 5 during the year following the 2000 federal decennial census. The current law does not allow counties to increase their number of commissioners in the future.
IFB will introduce legislation and work with all interested entities to allow counties to expand their board of county commissioners from 3 to 5 members elected at large. Counties, with populations less than 50,000, will be able to do this upon referendum initiated by the adoption of a resolution by the board of county commissioners or a petition signed by not less than 10% of the registered voters of the county.
Seek passage of legislation to expand the number of counties where statute limits the distance from a municipality that an annexation agreement will be valid.
Current statute allows the counties of Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Ogle, or Winnebago County, if property that is the subject of an annexation agreement is located more than 1.5 miles from the corporate boundaries of the annexing municipality, to have that property be subject to the ordinances, control, and jurisdiction of the annexing municipality unless the county board retains jurisdiction by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members.
IFB will introduce legislation that would allow Champaign county to adopt this provision.
Seek passage of legislation that limits landowner liability when the property is used by invited guests for recreational purposes.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruling (Henn vs. Hall) in 2003 changed the interpretation of the Recreational Land Use Act. The court ruled that unless you allow the entire public onto your land for recreational use, you will not have limited liability for persons invited on your land.
IFB will work with all interested entities to introduce legislation to restore liability immunity for landowners who allow individuals or groups to fish, ride ATVs, hike, etc. on their land This will encourage private landowners to grant access to select individuals for recreational purposes. Illinois Farm Bureau will continue to work with the Illinois Trial Attorneys Association, National Rifle Association and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to reach agreement on restoring the liability immunity for several years.
Seek passage of legislation to require 30 days written notice to all landowners and governmental entities whose property or district boundary is within 1 ½ miles of any parcel in an unincorporated area for which a zoning change is proposed or on which a special use permit is sought.
Current law states that no more than 30 days and no less than 15 days notice be given when a hearing for a proposed change in a zoning ordinance is to occur. The hearing only has to be published in one or more newspapers published in the municipality or one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the municipality which is published in the county where municipality is located.
IFB will introduce legislation and work with all interested entities that will require counties to give no more than 30 days and no less than 15 days notice of a hearing for a proposed change in a zoning variance or for which a special use permit is sought. The notice will also be required to be sent by first-class mail to the landowners and governmental entities whose property or district boundary is within 1 ½ miles of any parcel in an unincorporated area for which a zoning variance is proposed or on which a special use permit is sought. The county will also be required to post signs on the property that is subject to the proposed variance or for which the special use permit is sought.
Seek Passage of legislation to allow equine harvesting in Illinois.
In May of 2007 the Illinois Horse Meat Act was amended to make it unlawful for any person to slaughter a horse if that person knows or should know that any of the horse meat will be used for human consumption. This Act officially ended any chance for Cavel International to reopen the Horse Slaughter facility in DeKalb.
IFB will introduce legislation to repeal the amendment that outlawed horse slaughter for human consumption. The number of unwanted or spent horses that are now being put down in alternative ways or abandoned is on the rise. In addition, we have learned that horses are now being shipped from all over the United States to Mexico where they are being slaughtered for meat. This consequence associated with ending horse slaughter in Illinois is most certainly unintended but real no less.
The horses put down at Cavel were done so in a humanely regulated manner with a USDA inspector on site at all times. The controls were good and the animals end of life experience was humane and regulated. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily the fate of those horses being shipped to Mexico. Regulations on slaughter are not as stringent in Mexico and the horses have to endure much longer trips to get to these plants in Mexico. Reinstatement of horse slaughter in Illinois seems to be the only way to constructively address these unintended consequences.
Support legislation to authorize counties and municipalities to establish local Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement programs to purchase agricultural conservation easements to encourage farmland preservation.
Counties and Municipalities (except for home rule) do not have the authority to perform duties or services unless specifically specified by the state. Kane County is currently using their general fund to purchase conservation easements without expressed statutory authority. Several other County Farm Bureaus have stated they would like to approach their counties to offer such a program but feel that the statutory authority needs to be added to statute.
IFB will introduce legislation and work with all interested entities to allow counties and municipalities the right to establish local purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement programs to purchase agricultural easements to encourage farmland preservation.
Support legislation that increases the ethanol blending standard to a level higher than 10 percent.
Illinois Corn Growers Association will be introducing legislation to increase the ethanol blending standard to a level higher than 10 percent. Illinois Farm Bureau will work with ICGA to present legislation that can be supported collectively by the renewable fuels, agricultural, and automotive industries.
Currently there are already gas stations in parts of Illinois that offer higher than 10% blends of ethanol for non flex fuel vehicles. Warranties offered by the auto industry cover blends up to 14%. It will be important to work with all parties involved to find the highest percentage of ethanol that can still operate within warranties for non flex fuel vehicles.
Support legislation to establish a Statewide goal of a minimum of 20 percent by volume of the total gasoline consumed in Illinois be ethanol by 2012.
Illinois Corn Growers Association will be introducing legislation to set a statewide goal for ethanol consumed in Illinois. That goal will be that a minimum of 20 percent by volume of the total gasoline consumed in Illinois be ethanol by 2012. Establishment of a goal will provide a benchmark for the state yet still not create a standard that would create harsh opposition by the petroleum industry.
Illinois Farm Bureau will work with ICGA to present legislation that can be supported by interested parties.
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